Change in Status
by Lisa Smithers
Summary: When Will receives news that Halt will be taking on an additional apprentice, how will he react? What happens when he is told that new apprentice is a girl? -Beta tested by PFT3000
1. The News

"So what's going on?" Will asked, "Is it about the war?" Halt thought a moment. It was sort of related to the war, but not directly.  
"Not exactly." Halt said, "I was thinking about it, and-"  
"Always a dangerous pass time." Will broke in, grinning from ear to ear. He had said exactly what Halt usually did when Will told him he was thinking about something. Halt smiled against himself, then returned to his usual stoic mood.  
"I figured you should be around someone closer to your own age more often. You may be a ranger apprentice, but you're still a boy. You should have a friend, provided they're trust worthy." Halt paused, unsure of how to word the next part. Will was confused as to why Halt seemed to be having trouble getting his words straight. Halt never did that. He always spoke in a straightforward manner, but it seemed that he was now beating around the brush so to speak. "I'm going to take in a second apprentice." Halt said, slowly. A look of confusion fleeted Will's face, but it was quickly replaced with a slowly widening grin.  
"That's what you were sweating about?" Will said, laughing lightly. "The mighty Halt, worrying about telling his apprentice that he's going to take on another one?" When Halt though about it, it was somewhat ridiculous, but then again, he hadn't told a key detail yet.  
"I just didn't know how you would take to the idea." Halt said, "I didn't want to upset you."  
"Why would you think that would upset me?" Will asked, genuinely curious, "More than that, when did you start caring?"  
Halt glanced towards his feet, "I don't know..." Next thing Halt knew Will was gone.  
He glanced around, clearly alarmed. "Will?" He said, "Will, where are you? I'm sorry!" He was audibly more anxious the second time. Will dropped down from his position in a tree directly above Halt. He smirked at the relieved look on Halt's face.  
Halt realized he had been tricked into showing just how nervous he had been about this whole deal. Will knew better than to tease Halt about it. Halt would undoubtedly deny it, but he had gotten quite attached to Will, and one of his top priorities was Will's well being.  
"So who is he? This new apprentice?" Will asked, changing the subject. Halt hesitated.  
"Her name is Ryvira." Will laughed.  
"See! I told Gilan you had a sense of humor!" He exclaimed. His laughing died down after a moment when Halt didn't speak. "Wait, you're not kidding, are you?" He drew out. Halt remained silent. Will wanted to list out all the reasons why they should not have girl rangers and convince Halt not to take her, but he restrained himself, and forced himself to think more logically. Will had hidden it for Halt's sake, knowing he was worried about his reaction, but Will wasn't too keen on having another apprentice around. He didn't want to have to share Halt with someone else. He knew it would be this way with anyone, even if it had been Horace, and the new apprentice being a girl only worsened the matter. He subconsciously gauged Halt's feeling about this, thinking about how Halt had seemed to be a little more bright these past few days. Will thought he must have been planning it, talking to the king about it. From what Will could gather, Halt himself was fond of the idea.  
He was looking forward to it.  
Will thought for a moment, wording his response.  
"Well," He said slowly, "it can't be too bad, can it?" Halt could hear the hesitation in Will's voice, but by all appearances Will wasn't against the idea. Will on the other hand, was trying to base his response on his mentor's facial expressions. Halt was always quite stoic, but in the months Will had been with him, he had learned how to distinguish subtle tell tale signs in Halt's body language. The last thing wanted to do was upset Halt. Halt rarely ever seemed pleased with anything, including Will, and Will sure didn't want to ruin his mood. The thought of making their party of two into three however, that disturbed him. He dared not show it though, Halt seemed to be set on the idea.  
Will had been expecting something of the sort, having over heard enough pieces of conversations to put together that Halt had been considering it. Still, it hadn't seemed real until now.  
"I'm sure we'd all get used to it..." Will said, trailing off toward the end.  
"Well, since you don't seem to be opposed to the idea," Halt said, back to his usual self, "You get to help me train her. I've never trained a girl before and-" Halt hesitated.  
"You want me to make sure you're not too hard on her." Will nodded.  
"Something like that." Halt said, "We go tomorrow. Be ready early."  
"You want me to go with you?" Will asked.  
Halt nodded sternly, "I want you presented to her as a authoritative figure. In case of my absence, you're to be in charge."  
Will had mixed feelings about that. The idea of having to depend on his own skills while exciting and intriguing, was also quite frightening. He was however, happy that Halt thought him good enough to be able to help him teach.  
"Yes Halt." Will nodded.  
"Remember how I acted when you first came?" Halt asked. Will nodded but then stopped, "I knew you did that on purpose!"  
"Yes, I did." Halt said, "I wanted to put you in your place, and it worked. Now you get to be on the fun side of it."  
"You want me to act like that?" Will asked.  
"I want to make sure she knows you know what you're doing." Halt said.  
"Do I?" Will said, hesitantly.  
"Yes, Will, you do." Halt said. "You've got all the basics down. You're starting to get into the more advanced techniques." Will smiled slightly, and he stared off into the distance for a moment. He frowned.  
"Halt?" Will asked. Halt raised an eyebrow, signalling for him to continue. "What's her horse's name?" Will asked.  
"Marie." Halt answered, "Code word is runner. Which reminds me, you're going to take her to the Young Bob's."  
"Where will you be?" Will asked.  
"Gilan's" Halt answered, "I just want to give you a little status boost."  
"Why is it so important that she know I have more training?" Will asked, "I mean, I've only had a few more months..."  
"I'm going to honest with you." Halt said, looking to his apprentice. "You've learned more in seven months than most learn in a year." Halt said, "But don't get your ego up. You're still less than a fifth as good as a ranger." Will thought about that a moment.  
"Well, I have had the best teacher." He shrugged, "Want some coffee? I made some earlier. It should still be warm."  
"No, we need to get to bed." Halt said, putting emphasis on 'we.'  
"Alright..." Will sighed. He had been hoping for another cup.


	2. Castle Redmont

Both the apprentice and the ranger were up bright and early the next morning. Will dressed as he usually did. As a forester more or less, except for the mottled green cloak and bronze oak leaf pendant showing his rank. Halt dressed similarly, but his pendant was silver instead of bronze.  
"Ready?" Halt asked, fastening the last buttons on his cloak.  
"Yes Halt." Will answered.  
They saddled up their horses and began the journey. On the way there Halt began to tell Will how he wanted him to act around the girl.  
"Be helpful and polite, but not chatty." Halt lectured, "Sneak up on her, trying to startle her, but don't make it obvious you did it purposely. You'll be teaching her to stay on her toes." Will nodded. He was starting to see that there was a reason for every single thing Halt had did when Will first met him.  
"If she's doing something incorrectly, come up behind her and wordlessly correct her." Halt said, "She needs to get used to silence."  
"So, in short, act like you did when I first came." Will summarized. Halt nodded. Will thought that amusing. When Will had first met Halt, he had tried to mirror him, copy him. He still did that, but it was more or less subconscious by now. He had to concentrate to get it exactly, but just by being around Halt Will had adopted some of his characteristics. They rode in silence for a while before Halt spoke,  
"You missed something." he said.  
"Rabbit tracks." Will said, "They were here when I came to town yesterday. There were two rabbits heading East. I'm guessing away from a predator from the gait of them. It happened right after the rain." Halt looked on approvingly, but he had one more question to ask.  
"What color where they?" Halt asked.  
Will cocked his head for a moment, then closed his eyes.  
"One of them was albino. I remember finding that interesting." Will said, then he frowned. "I must have been focused enough on the albino rabbit enough that I didn't catch the other's coloring..." Will frowned unhappily.  
"Think through it logically." Halt said, "Sometimes you see more than you think. Now, what color was the rabbit? Talk me through it."  
Will thought for a moment.  
"It wasn't albino like the other. If I remembered one albino rabbit, I would have remembered two even more." Will thought aloud, "Black is also an uncommon color for a rabbit, and when I saw it I would have been reminded by night and day. I wasn't, so the rabbit wasn't black. If it had been gray, I would have thought of salt and pepper, and I didn't think of that either. So that just leaves... brown. The rabbit was brown."  
"You're improving." Halt said.  
Will smiled. That was as close to a compliment as Halt was going to give him, but Halt still seemed pleased by him and that made Will happy. Will's biggest fear was disappointing Halt.  
"Soon, what you just did will become second nature." Halt said, "You won't even realize you did it. That's we get our reputation for knowing things we shouldn't. We just pay attention."  
A few more miles and they were coming up to the city.  
"We're almost there." Halt said, "Sit straight and look forward. Keep your your face in the shadows and move confidently. Your pendant isn't out. Remember, as far as civilians can tell, you're a full fledged ranger. I don't want you giving us a bad name."  
Will could see a hint of a smile on Halt's face and knew he was enjoying making his apprentice sweat about disrespecting the order of the rangers. Halt wanted him to mess up. At least once, so he could get onto him. And the best way to make Will mess up, was to put him under pressure. That's what Halt was trying to do. He was trying to stir Will up. Will decided that he wasn't going to be stirred.  
Will relaxed in his saddle, still sitting straight, but not as stiff as a board. He was a human after all, not a machine. Will adopted the calm but confident manner he had seen in Halt so often. Will mirrored Halt's movements, trying to take on the same air as Halt had. Once they got close to the castle Will went into a more formal positioning, taking his place a few paces behind Halt and to the left. He kept Tug's gate even, but didn't bother matching it to Halt's. Will wasn't from battle school. He was allowed to be his own person, and take up his own space. Halt looked on approvingly, but didn't say anything.  
They trotted through the castle gates before dismounting at the entrance. The horses had been trained to remain in place for as long as their owner required, so they needed not worry about tying them up. Again, Will went into position behind Halt. They walked silently through the castle, keeping their faces hidden by the cloaks. They kept to the shadows, and almost no one noticed them. Those who did quickly got out of the ranger, and apprentice's way and continued their own business.  
Halt and Will silently slipped through the door into the choosing room. Standing there were five children. Four boys, one girl. Will decided that she must be Ryvira. She was slightly taller than the average apprentice, but she had the same slim but strong build so cherished by the rangers. Long dark hair rolled down her lower back in loose curls. She was a pretty girl. But pretty didn't make her a good ranger. Will noticed that she was the only one in the group who seemed to be relaxed, bored even. Eventually it was her turn to choose.  
"Which position do you desire?" The Barron asked. Ryvira looked at each of the people in the room, excluding Will and Halt, catching their eyes for a single moment before moving to the next person. Finally, after a moment of silence she looked back to the Barron.  
"I request to be a farmer, my Barron." Ryvira said. Will hadn't figured she would care which she would get, but he had never expected her to ask for farmer. No one did that. To be a farmer meant guaranteed poverty for the rest of your life.  
"You want to be a farmer?" The Barron repeated. Halt nudged his apprentice and pressed a letter into Will's hand. Halt wanted Will to give it to the Barron. The look Halt gave Will clearly stated, "Remember what I told you."  
Will moved quickly but invisibly, moving close as he could to the Barron without alerting the room to his presence. He emerged from the shadows, quickly, silently, causing several people in the room to gasp in surprise.  
Will moved with purpose over to the Barron, bowed slightly, then handed him the envelope. The Barron looked to Will, then back at the envelope. Will took a few steps back, joining Halt, who had also by now made his presence known. The Barron opened the envelope and read its content. He glanced briefly up to Halt, who nodded in response.  
"Well this is a new development." The Barron said, "Ryvira Flames, I would like to see you privately. The rest of you, report to your assigned stations at one of the clock."  
Halt and Will made no move to leave the room as the four children walked out of the room. The Barron turned to face Ryvira.  
"You have been given a special opportunity Ryvira." Barron said, "Halt, ranger of this quadrant, has offered to accept you as his apprentice. Do you accept his offer?" Ryvira was quiet a moment.  
"Yes." She said, "I do." "Good." The Barron said. Halt gave a look to Will that said, "You give the orders."  
"You will report to the castle gate." Will said, his voice low, but authoritative. "We will meet you there.  
The girl curtsied slightly, then left the room. The Barron turned to Halt.  
"A girl?" He asked. Halt nodded. "I believe she has what it takes." He said. "If not, she gets her wish."  
"And since when do you speak through your apprentice?" Barron asked.  
"Since I'm taking on another one." Halt said, making it obvious he didn't like the Barron questioning his actions. "He has seniority. I wanted to make sure she knew that." The Barron hastily nodded,  
"Okay okay, wonderful idea!" It was evident to both Will and Halt that the Barron was just trying to avoid conflict. He didn't think it was a good idea, in fact he probably thought it was a horrible one. He was underestimating Will.  
"Will, come here." Halt said. Will instantly appeared at Halt's side. "By the kings blessing, the rangers have created a new method of ranking among the apprentices." Halt said, "Every time the apprentice kills a Kalkara, a white bead is added. A Wargal is brown." Halt turned to his apprentice. "Take it off."  
Will obediently did so. Halt held it in front of the Barron's face.  
"Two Kalkaras and seventeen Wargals." The Barron realized. Halt slipped the necklace back onto his apprentice.  
"Now, I would be pleased if you would stop thinking of him as a child and start thinking of him as a man." Halt said, "You will not think of him as a Ranger's apprentice any longer, as of right now, you will consider him an apprentice Ranger." Halt and Will turned their backs and left.  
On the ride back Halt was silent.  
"Halt?" Will said, testing the waters.  
"Yes Will?" Halt said, turning to look at him.  
"Isn't it good to have surprise on your side?" Will asked, "Isn't it good to be underestimated?"  
"By your enemies, yes, it is very good to be underestimated." Halt said, "But the Barron is not our enemy. I don't want him to under estimate you. Especially not now."  
Will opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it and shut it. Halt didn't like open-ended questions. He didn't like question in which he was supposed to give the answer to. He liked it when Will made up what he thought might be the answer then asked him if he was right about the thing instead.  
"Halt?" Will said.  
"Yes Will?" Halt said. Will could have swore he saw a smile tugging at Halt's face.  
"You're going away, aren't you?" Will said, "You're going to leave me and Ryvira here. You're leaving me in charge, that's why you wanted to up my status, and to leave me in charge you've got to be gone several days." Will paused, trying to form his theory further. "Are you going to a ranger meeting?" Will asked. "Something that apprentices can't attend?"  
"No, Will." Halt said, "Then all the rangers would leave their apprentices in charge and that would be disastrous." Will looked confused.  
"How?" He asked.  
"Most apprentices at your age," Halt said, "Have never been in actual combat. They wouldn't know how to work around the panic. As I pointed out earlier, you've killed two Kalkaras and seventeen Wargals."  
"Compared to your thousands." Will said miserably.  
"Will, you're only fifteen." Halt said, "I'm..." Will perked up, hoping the ranger would tell him his age. Halt saw this and said, "A lot older." Will was disappointed. He had wanted to know. Will guessed Halt was probably in his late forties, maybe early fifties. Will frowned but a hint of a smile tugged on Halt's mouth. Halt knew Will well enough that he could guess, fairly accurately, what he was thinking. Halt had out witted him again.  
"I want you to teach her the basics while I'm gone." Halt said, "For the next few days, consider her your apprentice."  
"My apprentice?" Will asked, "But- I'm only an apprentice myself! How will I know if I'm teaching her something wrong? How will I know if I'm doing something wrong? What if Wargals attack? What if Kalkaras come with them?! What would I do?! And Morgarath! What if Morgarath showed up!?"  
"Will, it's time I loosen the leash a bit." Halt said, "I wouldn't give you this much responsibility if I didn't think you could handle it."  
"But what if I don't think I can handle it?" Will asked, "I've been an apprentice for less than a year, Halt."  
"And in that time you've had more on field experience than most rangers get in their first two." Halt said, "I trust you to protect our city. I'm putting my faith in you, because I know you won't let me down." They rode in silence for a moment.  
"When do you leave?" Will asked, "How could I get word to you if there's any unexpected activity?"  
"I'm visiting Gilan. You can send a messenger to his house if there's a need to." Halt said, "I shouldn't be gone more than a week. I leave tonight, late. I don't want to be observed."  
"I guess you don't want anyone to know about it then?" Will asked.  
"I'd rather the townsmen think that you were me for the time being." Halt said, "I don't want the civilians to know I've left an apprentice in charge. I trust you, but they may not."  
"So when do we pick up her horse?" Will asked.  
"Whenever you think she's ready." Halt said, "For her first week of training you're in charge."  
"Halt..." Will said, "I'm going to mess this up so bad somehow... You're going to come back and she won't be here because I ran her off some how. Then you'll be disappointed in me and-" Halt cut him off, swiping his hand over the top of Will's head. It wasn't hard enough to cause damage, but it stung a bit.  
"Will." He said sternly, "You keep talking like that and you will mess up, and you will disappoint me. Do you think I'm a bad teacher, Will?" Will shook his head quickly. Halt looked back to the trail.  
"Then you should trust my judgement." They rode in silence from there on.  
Halt began packing as soon as he got there and Will prepared a few day's worth of food for him to take with him.  
"What do I do if you're gone longer than a week?" Will asked.  
"This shouldn't be anything dangerous." Halt said dismissively, "I'll be here."  
"But if you aren't?" Will prompted.  
"Then you continue as usual, but send a messenger to Gilan. Don't let Ryvira know something's wrong." Halt said, "Confidence is key Will. Especially considering you're not much older than her. You need to appear in constant control."  
"Like you did." Will thought aloud.  
"Like I did." Halt repeated. Halt had slowly shown Will the more human side of him. To begin with, Halt had made it appear that he was a ranger and nothing else. He lived for his duty. As Will learned more however, he began to know Halt. Not just the ranger in him, but the person.  
"Go to bed Will." Halt said, "You will need to pick up Ryvira early. I'll be gone when you wake up." Will nodded and went to bed.  
Halt left soon after, but not before checking on his sleeping apprentice first. Halt gently brushed the hair away from Will's eyes. Halt was already thinking about how much he as going to miss Will. Gilan was right, thought Halt, I am getting soft. Halt sighed, then saddled his horse and started his long journey.

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A/N: Sorry if Halt seems a little OOC in this fic so far. He's just coming out a little mellow. I'll try to get him straightened up.

Also, I know Will's process to figure out what color the second rabbit was was a pretty far fetched, but it was the best I could come up with.

Also, I'll try to keep the chapters a little closer to the same length in the future. Please tell me whether you'd like them to be long or short.


	3. Ryvira

Will woke up before the sun the next morning.

He dressed in his normal manner, then put on the cloak. Halt had told him to look and act like he did when they had first met. Will could sum that up in one word. Intimidating. Halt had appeared intimidating when Will first met him.

Will put on his bronze oak leaf pendant and looked in the mirror. He adjusted his posture to where he stood tall, but not so much that it didn't look natural. Will grabbed his bow and quiver. He ate a quick breakfast then saddled up Tug and another horse, one that Halt generally used for pack. Will had in his spare time trained it to be ridden as well. Will then started the ride to town. He went through town attempting to carry the air of silent strength that Halt did, but never felt he was doing a very good job. He still felt nervous. His original fear had been having to share Halt. Now he was supposed to train this apprentice when he wasn't even too fond of her existence.

"For Halt," Will told himself. "I'll do it for Halt."

Little did Will know he was actually quite successful in his attempt. People cleared the road to give him room. They didn't know he was just an apprentice. As far as they knew, he was a full-fledged ranger. Someone to be feared and respected. Someone not to get on the wrong side of. The hood hid Will's face, which was useful as it was much more difficult to determine his age if you couldn't see him that well. While Will was short, he was also well muscled from months of training with Halt.

He told Tug to be silent and appeared behind Ryvira.

She jumped, but only slightly.

"Ryvira." Will said, keeping is voice low and controlled. He was trying to replicate the tone Halt used, and whether he thought it or not, he was successful. "Follow me."

She nodded wordlessly.

Will led her to the horses.

"Can you ride?" He asked.

"Well enough." She answered.

Will didn't help her onto the horse, though that might have been considered polite. Halt said to train her. Will fully intended on doing just that.

Will tried his best to remain silent and mysterious on the way back. He was doing a good job. Ryvira was less persistent than Will had been when it came to asking questions.

She had asked a few to begin with, similar to the ones Will had asked.

"What does a ranger's apprentice do?" She asked.

"You'll see." Will had replied. A bit later she asked how much farther. Will turned and gave her that look Halt always gave him when he asked a pointless question. She didn't ask anything else after that. Eventually they came to the old cottage that Will, Halt, and now Ryvira called home.

Will held the door open to Ryvira.

"Where is he?" Ryvira asked, "You were with another ranger yesterday."

"He had business to attend to." Will answered, lighting the stove.

With Ryvira's help it didn't take long for Will to cook up a soup of sorts. Will realized he hadn't taken off his cloak and did so before sitting down to the table. He kept the pendant on though. Will and Ryvira sat down to their meal.

The meal started out silent, but then Ryvira said

"You're younger than I thought."

"So?" Will responded. Ryvira changed the subject.

"Are you going to tell me your name?" She asked. Will looked over at her from the corner of his eye.

"It's Will." He said.

"How long have you been a ranger Will?" She asked.

"As rangers and ranger's apprentices, we don't ask useless questions." Will answered, "We pay attention and answer them ourselves. We learn by watching and imitating. Not by asking." Will restrained the impulse to jump. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh. It was almost scary to him how much that had sounded like Halt. He hadn't even been trying then either. All this, it was more instinctive to him than he expected.

"Oh." Ryvira said.

"Finish eating." Will said, "We need to start training." Ryvira was finished in a few minutes. Will relaxed surveyed the weapons, trying to seem as if he were doing something while he thought. So far it seemed that the less he tried to act like Halt the more he did. He was trying too hard he realized. He was stressing out about this. That was going to be his failing point if he kept doing it. Will took a deep breath and relaxed, letting his leadership instincts take over. Halt hadn't wanted Will to copy him entirely.

He had wanted him to train Ryvira. If Will was going to do that, he was going to do it his way.

What is most important? Will thought. What would be the best thing for her to learn? What would keep her alive? For the next few hours, Will worked knife self-defense with her.

"I thought rangers preferred to fight from a distance." Ryvira commented.

"You are not entitled to 'I thought's yet." Will said without thinking. "You will learn things as you figure them out, or as I reveal them to you." Will started acting subconsciously, his thoughts drifting away from his actions and words. He was somewhat irritated at Halt for leaving him here with so much responsibility. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to handle it all. He scare he was going to have to share Halt with Ryvira. Will didn't want things to change between him and Halt. He liked them the way they were. It seemed almost cruel of Halt to make Will train the girl that he hated before he even knew her.

Even so, Halt had asked him to. Will would do it if it pleased Halt. Will focused himself on teaching Ryvira a particular movement she seemed to be having trouble with.

"What is the other ranger's name?" Ryvira asked, after successfully completing the move, however so slow.

"His name is Halt." Will answered. He knew that there was no way for Ryvira to know what Halt's name was unless she asked, so that made it a good question.

"How long will he be gone?" Ryvira asked.

"Until the end of the week." Will said, "Enough questions. Now stab me."

"Pardon?" Ryvira asked, confused.

"Try to stab me." Will repeated.

"I don't want to-" Ryvira said, but was cut off.

"Even if it got past me it wouldn't hurt me. It's just wood." Will said. She did as he asked.

Before Ryvira knew what had happened, Will had her in a neck lock. "What did you do wrong?" Will asked.

"I don't know." Ryvira said.

Will tightened his hold on her arm slightly, pulling it just enough to cause discomfort.

"What did you do wrong?" He repeated, in a little more hostile voice.

"I don't know." She repeated. Her voice was calm, and Will could sense only a hint of fear.

"Think about it." Will said. She closed her eyes then a moment later opened them.

"I stayed in one spot." Ryvira said, "I didn't move. Then when you grabbed my arm I pulled against you, but the harder I pulled the tighter your grip got. I was fighting against myself somehow."

"Always assume that you enemy is taller, heavier, and stronger than you." Will said, immediately releasing her.

They continued training and by the ending of the day Will would have grudgingly told Halt that he agreed she might have some potential.

They ate supper and before she was allowed to go to sleep, Ryvira had to assist Will in cleaning up the cottage. "A gift from Halt." Will had referenced. Will had given orders, but he also helped, continuously busying himself with some task, though he left most of the labor to Ryvira. Eventually Will told Ryvira that the cottage was clean enough.

Ryvira lay awake for a few minutes, and Will made sure she was asleep before going to bed himself. In the kingdom as a general rule the more authority you have the later you rise.

With the rangers it is the opposite.

Halt had always made sure he went to bed after Will, and woke up before him. It gave him an untouchable air, as if he was so strong he didn't even need to rest. Will hadn't meant to do that. It just felt right.

A/N: Keep the reviews coming! I'm always open to suggestions and corrections! Be sure to tell me what you thought of this chapter!

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A/N: Keep the reviews coming! I'm always open to suggestions and corrections! Be sure to tell me what you thought of this chapter!


	4. Marie

The next morning, Will was up before the sun yet again and was practicing a move that Gilan had taught him.

Gilan had said that Halt fell for it every time. Will practiced it while Halt was away, so he wouldn't be able to block it when Will finally used it in sparring. Will put in a few moves around it and soon he became shadow sparring.

Suddenly he stopped, and turned to see that Ryvira had just come out the door. He pulled his bow over his shoulder and walked back into the cottage and began to make breakfast.

"I saw you practicing." Ryvira said.

Will made a grunting noise that he considered a proper response to something that wasn't a question. He carried two plates of eggs and bacon back to the table. They ate in silence.

Ryvira seemed to be getting used to the idea that silence was normal here. Will was glad.

Halt and he sometimes went hours without speaking to each other, and it never bothered them. Well, it bothered Will at first, but it didn't take him long to get used to it.

It just depended on Halt's mood. Sometimes, when he was in a talkative mood, he would tell Will stories about when he trained Gilan.

A lot of them were funny. Gilan was quite the jester and Halt... well, he just wasn't.

A lot of the stories were about Gilan trying to mess with Halt, and then Halt managing to make it into a lesson. In hind sight, Will wondered just how long Halt had been considering this. Had he been preparing Will for this? How had Halt known so far in advance that there was going to be a meeting of some sort? Was there a meeting? If not, where was Halt? A lot of questions flooded Will's mind. A lot of them that begged answer, but found none.

He thought over these while he washed the dishes and Ryvira dried them.

"A penny for your thoughts?" She asked.

"I'm trying to decide if you're ready." Will answered.

"Ready for what?" Ryvira asked.

"Nothing." Will said dismissively, "You'll see soon enough." Will could tell Ryvira wanted to know more, but she kept her curiosity to herself. They were nearly finished when Ryvira said, "You don't want me here."

"Not yet." Will said, "But I will."

"You look young enough to be an apprentice yourself." Ryvira commented.

"Is that so?" Will said, raising an eyebrow.

She was right of course, but Halt had told Will to make sure that, for the week, she was to think he was a ranger. Will was uncomfortable with the idea, pretending to be a ranger, but it did make sense. She didn't say anything else.

Ryvira helped Will clean up the cottage then went to bed. This repeated for two more days before something new happened.

When Ryvira woke up that morning, Will was outside with Tug, saddling him up.

"What's going on?" Ryvira asked.

"We're going to take a little trip." Will said, "You're ready for the next step."

Ryvira didn't ask what it was, but Will could tell she wanted to know. "Breakfast is on the stove, eat then get ready to go. The pack mare is lame, we'll be riding double back."

Ryvira nodded briskly and headed inside.

Will ran his hand along Tug's neck, trying to brush the dust out of his coat while at the same time relaxing himself. Will wished he could talk to Halt, ask him how to handle all this.

But Will was on his own. He was relying on his own experiences and expertise, which, he thought bitterly, were limited.

He didn't show his thoughts though. His face remained unreadable. He went inside and readied himself. He put on his cloak and his pendant, then went to check on Ryvira.

She was just about finished doing up the dishes from her meal. Will helped her finish then mounted Tug. He held out his hand and assisted Ryvira on mounting behind him.

Tug was fidgety, unused to having two riders.

Will needed only put a hand on the horse to calm him. After riding in silence for an hour they arrived. An old man came out of a small farm house next to a field.

"Halt! Haven't seen you in awhile, how have you been?" The man said. Will pulled back his hood revealing himself.

"It's me Old Bob." Will said, "Halt had business elsewhere."

"And you must be Ryvira." Old Bob said.

"Nice to meet you sir." Ryvira replied.

"Looks like you got yourself a mirror Will!" Old Bob said, "You said the same thing back when you first met me! You're growing up to be quite the ranger I'm told."

Will was surprised for a moment, but managed to hide it with a slight smile. 'Halt must have briefed him.' Will thought.

"Now with an apprentice of your own," Old Bob said, "Boy, your daddy would be proud of you! I heard some stories in town the other day and-"

"You know they exaggerate them Old Bob." Will said, "Most of them haven't a grain of truth left."

"Still, they's good stories." Old Bob shrugged, "What you came for is out back, 'less of course you came just for a visit?"

"She's ready Old Bob." Will confirmed.

Old Bob let out a piercing whistle and one horse came running through the field. It was shaggy, short, and stubby. A ranger horse through and through.

"We came here for a horse?" Ryvira asked.

"Your horse." Will corrected, "Her Name is Marie." Ryvira looked out to the horse, appraising it for a moment. Will expected her to comment on it's height, but she didn't.

"Can I pet her?" She asked.

"She's your horse." Will said.

Ryvira walked to the fence and reached a hand out and pet the horse, bringing her finger tips down the nose.

"First step in owning a horse," Will said, "Is catching it. Release her Bob."

Bob sighed and took off the lead rope he had only just snapped on. The horse jogged off happily into the field.

Ryvira looked at Will, then at the horse, then back at Will.

"Go get her." Will prompted.

Ryvira climbed over the fence then watched the horse trot across the meadow. She didn't try to chase Marie as Will had Tug.

Ryvira just stood there, watching her.

Her eyes followed the horse, calmly moving from place to place. Ryvira caught sight of the apple barrel for a moment, and Will could tell she considered the idea, but apparently decided against it. She looked back to the horse. After a few minute of watching the horse, she muttered, "Smart horse."

Another minute or so passed before she stepped out and held out her arm. A few seconds later, Marie came trotting up and stopped right in front of her.

"Good girl." Ryvira said. She muttered soothingly to the horse and easily put on the halter. She pet the Marie's nose and neck, and the horse whinnied happily. Will managed to keep his facial expressions in check, but Old Bob couldn't hide his surprise.

"She's a natural, she is!" Old Bob said, "I ain't never seen anyone take to horse that quickly!"

"It's a start." Will said, looking on grudgingly.

"Old Bob will teach you how to look after her and her tack. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Will you be staying here tonight?" Old Bob asked.

"Depends on the aptitude she shows for riding." Will said, "If she's good enough, we'll leave at four thirty. That should get us home in time for Supper."

"Alrighty!" Old Bob said cheerfully, "Let's get started Miss!"

Will watched as Old Bob and Ryvira led Marie out to the barn. Will remounted Tug and took off at a canter toward town. There were a few things he needed to pick up. First he stopped by the seamstress that the rangers used to make their cloaks. Will picked up one he judged to be the right size for Ryvira. His next stop was the market; he needed to get a bit of sugar.

When he had done this he rode back into the woods. He walked Tug, wanting to take his time. Will finally understood Halt's appreciation of solitude. He reflected on his actions over the past few days and decided that while he had done well, he could do better.

He also decided that he should spend more of his focus on Ryvira, so for the rest of the ride he tried to decide what he would teach her, and in what order he would teach it. Halt was due back in 2 days, but that was still long enough for Ryvira to learn quite a bit. He decided he needed to work more on moving silently and invisibly, as those seemed to be her weak points. She did above average with the bow, and her combat skills were above average as well. 'She would have made a good battle school apprentice.' Thought Will, 'That would have been easier for her, but I think that with practice she'll be better at this.'

Will decided that the direct approach method of training worked better with her due to her drive and determination. Ryvira learned best from repetition. Will missed Halt. He knew he had only been gone a few days, but those few days had been stressful to Will. He had never had to teach anyone anything before, now he was expected to treat Ryvira as his own apprentice.

Will couldn't wait for Halt to come back.

For Will to become the student again, instead of teacher. Will wondered briefly if Halt ever missed being an apprentice. He dismissed the thought and attempted to focus on Ryvira again. He paused a little ways away from the farm though, trying to resume his calm and controlled manner. He rode up to see Ryvira leading Marie around.

"You got here just in time for the fun part!" Old Bob said. Ryvira came around.

"Can I ride her now?" She asked.

"If you think that's a good idea." Will said. Ryvira looked to the horse, then at Will, then back to the horse.

"It's not a good idea." She decided.

"Why not?" Will asked.

"I'm missing something." Ryvira said. Old Bob looked impressed.

"Observant little critter, ain't she?" He muttered.

"Runner. Marie's code word is runner." Will answered, ignoring Old Bob. "Whisper it to her before you mount."

Ryvira whispered the word to Marie and mounted the horse. She first set off in a walk before speeding to a trot, then a canter, and then a full gallop. Will watched her ride and listened as Old Bob called out tips.

Will allowed his thought to float away again, thinking of different techniques to teach Ryvira.

After about an hour, Will decided that it was time to leave.

"We need to be getting back." Will said to Old Bob. Will let out a piercing whistle, and Marie trotted up to him with Ryvira on her back. "Time to go." Will said.

He opened the gate and let Ryvira and Marie out of the pasture. Will mounted Tug.

"Thanks Old Bob." Will said, "We'll have to come just for a visit sometime."

"I'll be looking forward to it." Old Bob said, "Just see if you can't take Halt with you next time. I haven't seen him in quite awhile."

Ryvira and Will rode back to their cottage then got started on supper. Will sweetened the tea a bit more than usual, an unofficial celebration of Ryvira's milestone. Halt had done the same for Will. They ate, Will taught her how to use a compass and how to read a map, then they cleaned up, and Ryvira went to bed.

Will stayed up another hour, rocking in Halt's chair. Will knew that Halt wasn't due for another two days, but he was worried anyway.

Something in Will told him that something bad wrong was either happening, or going to be.

Halt would have told him to stop being a worry wart, but Will was starting to get jittery. He ended up reading from one of Halt's history books until he fell asleep.

* * *

A/N: I need reviews! Give me reviews! I need them to know if I'm doing well or not. Suggestions are welcome!


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